Duality
by Tanglepelt
Summary: The personification of Estonia already has a lot on his plate. But when he is ordered to become a mentor to another immortal teenager-whose immortality is a result of cruel scientific experimentation-his world turns upside down. -Contains semi-graphic depictions of torture-
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, readers. It's been awhile since I've posted anything Hetalia-related. I've actually had most of this written for a year and posted on Tumblr rather than here, but I figured I'd take a chance and finally upload it to FFN.**

 **This will be a different sort of fic. OCs will be a part of it, but they were not created specifically for this story. They were actually created for an original story that I have been working on since 2010. One of my friends pointed out that my story's universe would mesh with Hetalia's quite nicely, so it got me inspired.**

 **With that being said, you really don't have to know much (or any) about my story in order to understand this, since Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania didn't know what was going on either, and are learning as they go along. (They can sort of be called 'audience avatars' in that sense.) However, what's made pretty obvious from the beginning is that these OCs were all test subjects part of a twisted scientific project.**

 **Hopefully, this is enjoyable to at least someone, XD. I know it was a lot of fun to write!**

 **(If anyone is interested in learning more about the original story the OCs come from, check out my DA and tumblr. While I am not currently inspired to work on it at the moment, there are plenty of excerpts, character bios, and artworks up already.)**

 **Without further ado, 'Duality'.**

 ***I do not own Hetalia. However, I do own Elts Meri, Liene Lejnieks, and Liutas Tarvydaitė, as well as all the other characters from their universe.***

* * *

 **Duality**

 **Installment One**

The personification of Estonia was surprised, to say the least. (The correct word would have been 'confused', but he wasn't about to let his government know that.) "Did I hear you correctly?"

The official, who still hadn't taken his coat off, nodded. "I know it sounds unbelievable, but it's true. The country of Estonia has another immortal representation. Though the difference between her and you is that she is not a personification."

"What is she, then?" Estonia couldn't help his interest.

"A scientific experimental project that succeeded. It was supposed to be a project for world peace, but the way the children were taken and treated would be considered torture to some. Especially since none of the subjects were willing in the matter. And now the governments of the world are stuck with them."

"Children? How old are they? And what do you mean, torture?" Wheels were turning in the bespectacled Nation's mind, but he wanted a definite answer before he spoke about it.

"Well, the subjects were from fifteen to seventeen years old when they were immortalized. And as for what I said before, how do you think the organization found out their immortality operations were a success?"

"They killed their subjects with any method they could think of." Estonia narrowed his eyes. He remembered how he, Lithuania, and Latvia received the same treatment at a Siberian labor camp in the 1940s, but he forced the thought from his mind. "Can I meet her?" Now, he was even more interested in the test subject from his land.

"She's right outside." The man grabbed his radio and turned to a new frequency. "Send her in."

Within a minute the door opened, and a girl entered the room. Estonia noticed that she was tall, almost around the same height as himself, and that she walked with her shoulders extremely tense. Her hair was a dark copper, and when she looked at him, he noticed her eyes were lavender. _What an odd combination…_

"Eduard von Bock, meet Elts Meri. Your protégé of sorts." The man looked at his watch. "I have to leave now, but Miss Meri's things are being dropped off at your house. Don't be alarmed if people are out in front."

"What?" Estonia was now more confused than before.

"Didn't I tell you? She's living with you now."

"Why?" This time, it was the girl who spoke. Her voice was lighter than Estonia thought it would be, though there was a hardened edge to it.

"Did I tell you to speak?" At the order, Elts stepped back, biting her lip. "You're staying with Esto—Eduard—because, since you were a successful experiment, you are now the metaphorical property of the government. We have to make sure that there are no dangerous side effects to the operation." Raising an eyebrow, he continued. "And I'm sure you don't want to return to your mother, do you."

Wincing, Elts closed her eyes. "No, sir."

The man's eyes softened for a moment. "I'm sure you and Eduard will get along. Goodbye, Miss Meri. Eduard." With one more nod, he turned and left.

After an awkward few minutes of silence, Estonia turned to the girl. "I guess we should get going, then."

"Yeah." The silence continued until she spoke again, though hesitantly. "You wouldn't believe how good it feels to be speaking my own language after so long."

Estonia merely shook his head. "But I do know, Miss Meri."

"Who are you?" Elts narrowed her eyes. "Were you part of Class U? The scientists said that I was the only Estonian…"

 _What is Class U?_ Aloud, he answered with, "I am the personification of Estonia, Miss Meri. And apparently, your mentor."

/

The ride to Mr. von Bock's (Elts didn't feel comfortable being informal with him, not to mention he outranked her) home was silent. The boy looked like he was planning on saying something multiple times, but shut his mouth at the last second.

"Look, Mr. von Bock…" Elts finally spoke, not meeting her new mentor's eyes. "I am very sorry to have inconvenienced you in any way."

She noticed that the blond grimaced, though she wasn't sure at what. "You can call me Eduard."

 _Was I being too formal?_ "Sorry." After a year of following orders or being killed if she didn't, it was hard for her not use formalities.

"Is there anything wrong, Miss Meri?"

" _Is there anything wrong, Miss Meri?" The sneering face of Feia Marinova appeared in Elts' line of vision. "Oh, that's right. You can't speak. You always did heal slower than the rest."_

 _The copper-haired girl blinked tears out of her eyes, trying to at least appear with some dignity in front of the scientist. Earlier that week, her throat had been slit, severing her vocal cords in the process. They were still healing, even though the operation was supposed to make her body fix itself faster._

" _Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Marinova barked, digging her hands into the shivering girl's hair and forcing her face up. Turning her head, she called, "Hey! Vitkauskas! Get over here. Miss Singing Revolution here isn't being very cooperative."_

 _Elts body stiffened as the second scientist approached. Danutė Vitkauskas was the scientist who killed slowly, called the Demon Doctor by Pru Wagner. He was the man who had tortured Liutas the year before, when she accidentally witnessed her parents' murder. Elts knew what this man was capable of. And that's what scared her most of all._

" _What do you want me to do, Miss Marinova?" Vitakauskas' eyes glinted._

" _Whatever you want."_

 _Suddenly, Elts found her hospital gown torn away, leaving her only in a pair of thin shorts. She was forced onto her stomach, Vitakauskas' knees pressing painfully into her lower back._

" _Scalpel," the man said, almost sounding bored. Once he presumably got it, he traced the Estonian's scars lightly. "The color on these isn't dark enough. Wouldn't you want the world to know what an 'honor student' you are?"_

 _Elts could do nothing as the scalpel tore into her back, ripping open the long-healed wounds and deepening them. She couldn't even voice her pain. All she could do was cry._

 _When each and every letter was cut into, she thought it was over. She sighed in relief when Vitkauskas got off her back, but her peace was short-lived. She was yanked up by her hair and slammed into the wall. Shuddering, she felt something warm and wet on her shoulder, and realized that the scientist kissed it._

" _Stop…" she tried to say, though her throat wouldn't allow her. More tears fell as she felt the man licking the blood off of the new cuts._

" _I think your blood tastes better than little Liutas'," he chirped, strangely cheerful. He kissed her again, this time, on the lips. The taste of blood permeated into her mouth, and she gagged, knowing that it was her own._

 _Before the man could say anything more, Elts passed out._

A slap brought Elts to her senses. She found herself sobbing, Eduard's arms wrapped around her. "I'm sorry! So sorry!"

"Sorry for what, Miss Meri?"

"Don't call me that!" she spat, reminded of her tormentors. "Don't ever call me that!" Breaking down once more, she buried her face in the boy's vest, humiliated. "I'm sorry for getting too close…"

"Elts…" The way he said her name was familiar, yet distant, at the same time. "You obviously have dealt with a lot of pain in a short amount of time, yes? It's only natural that you will flash back to it. Trust me, I know from experience." He tightened his embrace, though only for a few seconds.

Elts tried to regulate her breathing, to match it with Eduard's. After awhile, she figured she was composed enough, and detached herself from her mentor. "Thanks," she finally muttered.

"It's no problem." Eduard buckled her back in before restarting the car. "We'll be home soon. Just…sleep, okay?"

Elts nodded, her eyes already closing.

* * *

 **Hopefully, this interests readers enough to continue. Like I said before, I know this is sort of an 'avant-garde' project, but I am really having fun with it.**

 **Also, if Elts' flashback is confusing, that's fine. Information relating to her before this story takes place will gradually appear in the story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome to Chapter Two of 'Duality'! This continues the interactions between Estonia and Elts Meri.**

 **I almost feel weird writing one of my own characters from an original story into an already-established series, but it helps me de-stress, so I figured 'why not'. It's also an interesting way to explore both characters.**

 **Hopefully, Estonia isn't too bad in this; it's sort of weird writing him as a mentor-figure to Elts. (At this point, I'm just guessing how he'd react to her.)**

 ***Once again, Hetalia is not mine, but Elts Meri and everyone else from her world is.***

* * *

 **Installment Two**

The rest of the ride to Eduard's home, as well as the time they spent unpacking her stuff, was a blur to Elts. After her breakdown in the car, she was too drained to even speak. Not to mention, she was embarrassed by the fact that she latched onto Eduard for comfort, even though she just met him. It was obvious that she wasn't doing well, so the bespectacled boy told her to lie down in the guest room for awhile, especially since it was evening, anyway.

As she climbed the stairs, her mother's face suddenly appeared in her mind. _"You're weak!"_ the woman hissed, causing Elts to bite her lip. _"It's been, what? A month since you were liberated from the facility? And yet you still can't function? Typical Elts, you can't even do this right. Even Liene is up and about, and she had_ organs _ripped out her while she was still conscious!"_

"Shut up! We all suffered," Elts muttered, trying to force the sneering woman's face from her mind. She succeeded, but Feia Marinova took her place. _"Poor little EE. You were supposed to be the star student. But you're just a failure. You couldn't save anyone, not even yourself."_

 _Stop. Please. I did my best…_ Elts sank to the floor, a hand instinctively covering her throat. After a few moments—though it felt like an eternity—she took a deep breath and composed herself. Cracking her neck and narrowing her eyes, she climbed the rest of the stairs and threw open the first door she saw. _Mr. von Bo—Eduard—said that the door closest to the stairs was my room, so I guess this is it._ She glanced at the plain blue walls and neatly-made bed before flopping down on it, exhausted. She thought that it was odd that none of her stuff was in the room with her, but she was too tired to care. Shrugging to herself, she wrapped the blankets around her, creating a cocoon.

After a few minutes, she began to feel stifled, so she peeled off her turtleneck and slacks, tossing them to the floor. Because she was dressed in hospital gowns for so long, clothing still felt a bit constricting on her, so she only slept in her underwear whenever she could. She knew that Eduard was busy with his paperwork, so she figured she'd have time to take a nap and redress herself before he let her know a late dinner was ready.

Wrapping the blankets tighter around her, she closed her aching eyes and allowed sleep to overtake her.

/

After Estonia settled into his office, he suppressed a groan when he realized that he forgot the flash drive he needed in his room. Once his laptop booted up, he ran up the stairs. But as soon as he entered his room, he realized that something was wrong. Elts was curled up on his bed, her face looking distressed, even in sleep. The shine of sweat was visible on her forehead, and he could see that she was biting her lower lip tightly.

He wondered why she was in his bed, but he pushed that thought away in favor of waking her up. "Miss Meri?" he tentatively asked. When there was no response, he shook her shoulder lightly. The response was explosive.

"No more!" She shrieked in English, kicking the blankets off of her and pushing herself against the wall. "Please. I can't take any more…"

Estonia noticed that she was only in her underwear, but that didn't faze him. Instead, he focused on the fact that his protégé's eyes were glassy, almost like she was looking at something that wasn't there. He recognized that look; Latvia used to stare that way after his 'punishments'. He knew what he had to do, even though he didn't like it.

"I am so sorry, Miss Meri." The blond drew his hand back and slapped Elts across the face.

After a few moments, the copper-haired girl shakily brought her own hand to her face, her eyes finally clearing. "Mr. von Bock?" she finally asked, dropping English for her native Estonian, though her voice was barely above a whisper. "What are you doing in here?"

"This is my room."

Elts' face lost the last bit of color it held. "Shit."

"It's okay; I do not think my directions were clear enough." Since Estonia was no longer focused on preventing another breakdown, he was finally able to look at her properly. His breath caught in his throat when he realized how thin she was. Her thick clothing projected the illusion of health, but now? Her bones, especially her ribs and shoulders, jutted out in ways that looked painful. The fact that she was able to not only walk properly, but carry boxes and suitcases adequately, was a marvel to him.

Once he got past the shock of her emaciated figure, he noticed that she was covered in scars of various types, as well, with some still looking a bit fresh. One that stood out to him in particular was a reddened slash across her throat.

"Are you ashamed of me?" Elts stated, not meeting the blond's eyes. "The experiments were supposed to make our healing speed up, but it didn't work on me. I was the only one it failed with. I should have healed faster; everyone else did. But I'm not."

Estonia could guess that she was referring to not only her physical state, but her emotional state as well. At this moment, it really dawned on him that she was one of his citizens, and therefore, a part of him. And she was suffering because of it. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around his protégé, pulling her close to him.

"Why would I be ashamed of you? You were put through so much, and you didn't deserve any of it. You suffered greatly, but here you are. I know it doesn't seem like you're healing, but you are. Trust me. I know from experience."

As Elts sobbed into his shirt, Estonia noticed a particular set of scars etched into her upper back. _'Honor student'? What_? Without thinking, he rested his hand on top of the nearly-healed gashes, eliciting a gasp from Elts. She jerked away from his touch, and, for a second, he saw Lithuania in her place.

Feeling stupid, especially since his friend had the same reaction whenever the scars on his back were touched, he removed his hand immediately. "I'm sorry."

Elts merely shrugged before leaning into his arms once more. "This is indecent," she eventually whispered, seeming to catch onto the fact that she was only wearing underwear around someone she barely knew. "I am so sorry."

"Don't be." And Estonia meant it. The last thing on his mind was how much—or how little—clothing the copper-haired girl was wearing. All he cared about was making her feel safe and secure. He only knew the basics of what happened to her during her time at the facility, but from the nature of the scars, as well as her emotional state, he figured it was worse than anything he could imagine.

Everything was silent for awhile until Elts looked up at him.

"Who are you?" Though there was still some fear clouding Elts' eyes, Estonia could see the wheels turning in her head, trying to theorize why someone so young had such a high government position. He knew he stated that he was a personification before they left Old Town, but he wasn't sure if she processed it.

"I'm a friend," he finally answered. He would save the rest of his answer for another time, when the girl would most likely process it better. "And I'm here to help you."

* * *

 **Of course, Eduard has the last, dramatic line of this chapter, haha.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, and welcome to Chapter Three! I hope you're enjoying the story so far, even if it's not what I usually write (or not what you usually read, X'D).**

 **This one only shows Eduard's perspective, whoops. Elts' thoughts will show up in the next one.**

 **Also, Elts is smart as hell. She figured a lot of things out pretty quickly, and she's not even up to par.**

 **Writing this is a great de-stressor, haha. (Not to mention, it's really fun exploring how these two characters interact with each other.)**

 **Elts is very clingy and erratic in this, but it's because it's only been a short amount of time since she was rescued. (Not to mention, she has a concussion [sort of], as well as PTSD.)**

 ***I do not own Hetalia. (I do, however, own Elts and everyone from her universe).***

* * *

 **Installment Three**

Estonia tightened his embrace when she nodded and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm a mess," she muttered, her breath hot on his neck. "I apologize if I am making my stay here awkward. It's just…" She let the end of her sentence trail off, almost like she either forgot what she was going to say, or just didn't want to speak any longer.

The blond tentatively rubbed her back, being sure to keep clear of the 'honor student' scars. "It's all right." Truth be told, he wasn't expecting his guest to be so clingy, especially from how aloof she acted in the meeting room, but it didn't put him off, especially since he understood at least some of why she was acting this way.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Estonia spoke. "I need to finish some important work, but you can sleep for awhile. Once I'm done, I'll make dinner. Is that all right?"

Elts pulled away from her mentor's hug and nodded, though her eyes were dull. "Can you show me to my room?"

"Certainly."

As Elts bent down to pick up her discarded clothes, Estonia suppressed a wince. The girl's spine jutted out as much as her hips and shoulders did, making her seem even more breakable than before. He noticed her hands shook as she stood back up, gripping the fabric tightly.

Suddenly, Elts stumbled forward, and she dropped the clothes in favor of grabbing Estonia's shoulders for support.

"Miss Mer—Elts?"

"They hit me pretty hard in the head many times right before everyone was rescued," she murmured, letting go of the blond in favor of sinking back onto the bed. "My skull was cracked in multiple places. I mean, I've died from blunt force trauma before, but this time, they really went overboard. My head hurts constantly now; it's been a month, but I don't think I completely healed, yet."

Estonia's stomach twisted. _"He died from being hit too hard,"_ Lithuania's voice echoed in his mind, taking him back to the day when they had to carry Latvia's battered, lifeless body up from the basement. _"He was already hit in the same spot countless times before; I guess his body just couldn't take any more."_

The older boy forced the thought from his mind in favor of grasping Elts' hand. "Just sleep here, then. It's no trouble, especially if your head hurts too much."

Elts pushed herself into a sitting position, narrowing her eyes. "People around you, your friends, have been hurt like me. I can see it in your eyes, and in the way you act. You're experienced with this, aren't you?"

Estonia raised an eyebrow in surprise. _Even with a possible concussion, she was still able to figure that out._ A burst of pride bloomed in his chest; he was pleased to know that one of his people was so perceptive.

"Yes," he finally said, squeezing her hand. "My best friends went through countless hardships. I did, as well. But since I wasn't the target a lot of the times, I had to be there for the others. I wasn't good at it back then, but I like to think I improved. I had to, in order to give them hope."

"You are very kind." Elts' eyes got foggy. "I had to do the same for my best friends, too. But I was never strong enough. I was called the lucky one, a cruel nickname given for the sake of irony. I might not have been lucky, but I always the last one harmed. It was to break my spirit. And it _worked._ I'd watch as my friends were destroyed in front of me. And then it was my turn."

Estonia felt sick; he hated hearing those words come from his protégé's lips. _She's just a girl, not even done with secondary school._ What made him sicker was the fact that this was not the first time such phrases went through his mind. Inwardly wincing, he pushed away thoughts of forced labor camps and a third of his population being systematically wiped out, preferring to focus on the here and the now, even if it wasn't pleasant.

"Eduard?" Elts' soft voice pulled him from his daze. "You're hurting. If I've done anything, I—"

"No!" His response was sharper than necessary, but he had to make her see that it wasn't her, that it wasn't her fault that he was slipping back into his darkest days. "It's not you." He pushed aside her bangs and smoothed her hair, a gesture that was only exclusive to Latvia before this. "The world is just a cruel place, that's all."

"Yeah. And history seems to repeat itself."

The copper-haired girl's words chilled Estonia. "What?"

"They planned it that way. They turned us into their pawns for some twisted historical reenactments. Even when we were at the school. And when we were at the facility? I know the history of my country, Eduard. I bet they thought it was funny how they locked me, Liene, and Liutas in a frozen room, emulating Siberia. Except we didn't even have clothes, in that 'test'. I lasted the longest in that one. Liene died first. She was only around 140 centimeters, and weighed barely anything. _Of course_ she fucking died first!" Her grip on Estonia's hand tightened significantly. "You know what made it even better? The scientists placed bets on who would last the longest. Our suffering was nothing more than cheap entertainment for their own amusement, and our lives were like petty sports games. Isn't that _hilarious?_ "

Estonia felt the girl's nails dig into the back of his hand, breaking the skin. He watched with morbid fascination as blood welled up between her nails and his flesh, though he snapped back to attention when she started to laugh. The sound was absolutely heartbreaking, but what cemented Elts' agony were the tears streaming from her eyes.

"I want to die, Eduard," she sobbed, curling herself into the fetal position. "I want to die for real. I hurt so much; nothing's going away. If it's not the pain in my head, then it's phantom pain from the previous experiments. And the screaming; I can still hear my friends' and fellow classmates' screams in my head; they won't stop!"

As the younger girl's breathing sped up, Estonia quickly pulled her into a sitting position, wrapping his arms around her and gently rocking her. "I know it hurts," he murmured, weaving a hand through her thin hair. "And I know what it's like to want to die when it's impossible for you to. But trust me on this one, you _will_ heal. It will just take time. You were only liberated a month ago, Elts. It's only natural you're reacting this way."

After a long stretch of silence, Elts looked up at the blond and nodded slowly. "You're immortal too, aren't you? You really _are_ the personification of Estonia. I thought I heard wrong when you said that back in the meeting room…"

More pride filled Estonia's body; he wasn't being obvious that he was a Nation, but the fact that one of his people—who also just had multiple panic attacks as well as an obvious head injury—figured it out so easily made him very pleased.

"Yes," he finally said. "I was wondering if you picked up on that."

"That's why you smell like home." Nodding once more, she wrapped the blankets around her and curled up in bed, closing her eyes.

When he was sure she was asleep, Estonia ruffled her hair one last time before exiting the room. As he made his way to his office, all thoughts of doing paperwork left him. Instead, he wanted to do some research. He knew he wouldn't like what he'd see, but he couldn't help it. The more he knew about Elts'—as well as her friends'—time at the facility, the easier it would be to help his protégé heal. Taking a deep breath, he logged into his government's intranet and scrolled until he found what he was looking for: a folder marked 'Project Longevity'.

* * *

 **And the plot thickens. Estonia (as well as you readers) will discover more of Elts' backstory in the next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome to Chapter Four! This one's longer than the others. And darker. There's some pretty graphic imagery of torture in this. (Let me know if I should change the rating to 'M'.)**

 **Once again, this one turned out to be all Eduard. Whoops. (Elts' perspective will show up in the next one, definitely.)**

 **Hopefully, Eduard's reaction to seeing some of what happened to Elts and her friends was plausible to his character.**

 **I find it hilarious how this turns out to be a fun de-stressor rather than me actually writing the story where Elts is from, XD.**

 ***I don't own Hetalia. I do, however, own Elts, Liene, Liutas, and everyone else from their universe.***

* * *

 **Installment Four**

Narrowing his eyes, Estonia clicked on the folder. There were countless videos, jpegs, and documents, all having Elts mentioned somewhere in the title. Only one didn't have her name; instead, it was labeled 'The Project'. When he checked its properties, he realized that this particular document was written by his government. After cracking his neck, he opened the file, and began to read its contents.

" _Project Longevity was both an attempt to create world peace, and an attempt to create super soldiers. Its base was at Saint Francis International Academy, a government-funded school located in Iceland. (Though the governments had no idea what the true motive of the school was.) The headmaster, Jan Koch, as well as many teachers, were involved with the organization behind the project: Longevity. Scientists affiliated with Longevity, at an underground facility in the Faroe Islands, spent years creating a serum that would turn potential candidates immortal. This serum was supposed to be able to stop the growth and aging of cells in organs, skin, muscles, bones, etc., and would be injected into each and every part of a subject's body via an operation. Their first human test subjects were fifty students from the Academy, known as Class U. All of them died shortly after the operation due to injuries sustained in experiments to test the serum's potency. Longevity's second attempt, with students from the classes below U, called Class W, succeeded. All the candidates became immortal, but with a cost. Each of the students endured fatal experimentation to make sure that the serum truly made them immortal. This treatment, received by children aged fifteen to seventeen, was considered a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as countless other human rights documents. These children were tortured in unimaginable ways, but were kept alive by the success of the serum._

 _These children were stated to have died in a 'terrorist attack' when the Academy was 'bombed by extremists' in November, but this was just a cover-up in order to explain the numerous disappearances. When the world's governments got involved after the students were liberated, they kept up this façade since, technically, they are the property of the government, because the project was a success. Not to mention, it just did not seem like a good idea, for many reasons, to return these new immortals to their parents. When asked about this, the students agreed with our decision, and consented to living with the National Personifications due to their similar purposes, even though they were told that the Nations were merely 'government workers'."_

Estonia closed the document; he had read enough. _They weren't even allowed to go back to their parents? And they agreed to stay 'dead' to them?_ Elts didn't seem particularly homesick; in fact, besides the clear traumatization, she seemed content in his house, so he wasn't too worried about that. Even though the decision seemed cruel, he could see why it would be best to cut all ties with their old lives, in order to prevent the inevitable heartbreak and headaches that would go along with being introduced as immortals to their friends and families.

Though he knew he would regret it, he clicked on the first video he saw and plugged in his earbuds. He already felt sick after reading the brief synopsis, but he felt like he needed to know _exactly_ what had happened to Elts in order to at least attempt to help her heal.

He was pulled from his thoughts when the video started. Elts, who looked much healthier than she did now, stood in front of two other girls, both blonde, who were curled up on the floor. All three wore hospital gowns, though the smallest girl's was covered in bloodstains. A man in a white coat reached for the taller of the blondes, who gasped as she was dragged to her feet.

" _Leave her alone!"_ Elts spat. She attempted to grab the girl's hand, but was restrained by another scientist.

" _Subject LT: Liutas Tarvydaitė. From the lovely_ Lietuva _."_ The girl winced as the first scientist stroked her face. _"You will be our first subject for this experiment. Be proud. If you live, you will be considered the first success. But if you stay dead? You will be a noble sacrifice to our cause."_

This declaration seemed to be too much for the blonde; she started to quietly cry.

" _Put her down, you freak!"_ The smallest of the three, who was unrestrained, rushed forward, trying to remove her friend from the man's grasp. It was to no avail, she was kicked harshly in the stomach, and she quickly dropped to the floor, wrapping her arms around herself as she whimpered.

Estonia could see fresh blood seeping through her gown, and he clenched his fists. _Why are they doing this? These are children. The little one looks like she was injured already._

He snapped back to reality when he heard the chillingly familiar sound of a gun being cocked.

" _No!"_ Liutas shrieked as she saw a handgun being presented to her. She writhed, kicking her feet out until she managed to wrench herself out of her hospital gown. Estonia tried to avert his eyes; though she was wearing panties, she was naked from the waist up. However, that proved to be impossible when the scientist grabbed her by the throat, pinning her against the wall. Without saying a word, he pressed the gun against the side of her head and pulled the trigger.

Elts fell limp in her captor's grasp, her eyes wide, while the smaller blonde started wailing. Her screams intensified as the now-blood soaked scientist threw Liutas to the ground and walked toward her. She pushed herself backwards until she was pressed up against the wall, sobbing in a language that was all too familiar to Estonia, even if he wasn't fluent in it. _She's Latvian._ For a moment, the Nation saw Latvia instead of the shivering girl, and he nearly threw up.

" _Subject LV: Liene Lejnieks."_ The scientist who killed Liutas yanked the small blonde to her feet by her hair. _"You talk too much."_ He dropped her to the ground before kicking her in the stomach, eliciting a pained whine from her. Before she could even move, he knelt on her legs and forced the gun into her mouth. Estonia closed his eyes as the trigger was pulled, unable to bring himself to watch.

However, Elts' anguished scream caused him to face the screen once more. Her legs buckled, and her eyes were stretched wide. She did nothing as the man turned to her; instead, she closed her eyes.

" _Subject EE: Elts Meri."_

She didn't move a muscle as he rested the end of the gun against her forehead, only biting her lip when it went off. After she was unceremoniously tossed on top of Liene, the video ended.

Estonia was numb. Before he could stop himself, he clicked on the jpeg next to the video. He was met with the sight of a hideously infected arm. The only way he knew it was Elts was by the label of the file. With a sort of morbid curiosity, he scrolled through the rest of the photos, each more brutal than the last. _Elts…What have they done to you?_ The one that got to him the most was one titled 'Meri, Elts-Before and After'. On the left was a photo that looked like it was from the Academy's yearbook. Though the copper-haired girl's smile didn't reach her eyes, there was still light in them. The picture on the right, however? That one looked like it was taken from a horror movie. Elts' eyes were as dull as her hair, and her face looked as gaunt as a skeleton.

Rubbing his eyes, Estonia exited the picture viewer. He was about to end his perusal through the folder when another video caught his eye: 'ELL-Siberia Test'. Against his better judgement, he clicked on it. He was met with the sight of Elts, Liene, and Liutas huddled against one another in a room with a metal floor, walls, and ceiling. All three were naked, horribly scarred, and shivering.

" _My skin's splitting open!"_ Liene sobbed, curling herself against Elts. _"How much longer do we have to stay in here? It's too cold!"_

Estonia noticed the frost that covered the room and winced, remembering what Elts had said before about this particular experiment.

" _It shouldn't be too long now,"_ Liutas rasped, her voice almost too weak to be heard. _"We've been in here for awhile already, remember?"_

Liene nodded, her eyes looking out-of-focus. After a few moments of silence, she slowly turned her head towards Elts. _"Can you kiss me?"_

" _What?"_ Elts' narrowed eyes snapped open.

" _I…I don't know how much longer I'm going to last this time. I just want to feel warm."_

With tears in her eyes, Elts pulled Liene onto her lap, tightly wrapping her arms around the smaller girl, bringing her closer until she was able to press her lips gently against Liene's own. Once the two pulled away, Liene grabbed Elts' hand.

" _Es tevi mīlu,"_ she murmured, closing her eyes.

The lump in Estonia's throat got worse. " _I love you"._ That was one of the first phrases Latvia had taught him when he was interested in learning the shorter boy's language. _I didn't know Elts had a lover._ He wasn't even sure if Liene's request was romantic, or just a last effort at platonic closeness, but he didn't dwell on it too much. Not when the video was still playing.

" _She's gone."_ Elts shook Liutas' shoulders. _"She's dead. They killed her again, Liu."_

" _Whuh?"_ Liutas' head lolled to the side as she turned her body, though she hissed as frozen skin was ripped off due to the motion.

" _Liene is dead."_

Liutas said nothing, though the pain in her eyes spoke for her. She wrapped her arms around Elts, and they curled around each other until the blonde stopped breathing.

There were no tears in Elts' eyes as she stared at the camera, only defeat. She laid the bodies of her friends next to her before lying down herself. It didn't take long for the life to fade from her emaciated frame.

Estonia was done. He exited the video, exited the folder, and closed his laptop.

" _You know what made it even better? The scientist placed bets on who would last the longest."_ Elts' words pierced him more than they originally did. _Who the hell would watch that footage and_ bet _on who would survive the longest? These people are sick. 'Create world peace' my ass; they just wanted to torture people who couldn't fight back or even die._ For a moment, he imagined Latvia taking Liene's place, as well as other Nations near his age, like Iceland, South Korea, Liechtenstein, and Seychelles, and bile rose in his throat. _If these people knew about us… No._ He shook the thought from his head. _This is not the time for 'what-ifs'. Focus, Eduard._ But he couldn't. Every time he blinked, the videos would replay in his mind.

Even as he made his way to the kitchen, his body was on autopilot. As he chopped up the vegetables for dinner, the scientist's voice echoed through his thoughts, followed by the young trio's.

" _You will be a noble sacrifice to our cause."_

" _Put her down, you freak!"_

" _You talk too much."_

" _Es tevi mīlu."_

" _She's gone."_

" _Liene is dead."_

As soon as he finished preparing the meal, Estonia ran to the bathroom and vomited. Once he cleaned himself up, he slowly climbed up the stairs before quietly entering his bedroom. Much to his surprise, Elts was awake, sitting with her knees tucked to her chest.

Seeing her was too much; his eyes welled with the tears he was trying so hard to suppress, and before he knew it, he embraced her, wrapping his arms around her shivering body. "I'm sorry," he whispered, pulling her close. "I'm so sorry we couldn't save you."

* * *

 **I think this chapter was my favorite to write, just because it got really emotional. (Not to mention, Estonia—and readers—get more information about Elts and her friends.)**

 **And yes, Estonia imagining the other teenaged nations in Elts' and her classmates' situation was a reference to 'The Weakest Link', where Estonia, Latvia, Iceland, and Sealand are captured by corrupt scientists and brutally experimented on.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Welcome to Chapter Five of 'Duality'! I hope you're enjoying the story so far!**

 **Now, Elts is back in the spotlight for half of this installment. (Though Eduard gets the last half haha.)**

 **This one handles some pretty heavy material, as well. Elts explains to Eduard why she doesn't really like being in Tallinn, among other things. While there is no torture written out in this, some unpleasant things are still implied.**

 **In the Estonian school system, a five is an equivalent of an A, and a four is equivalent to a B, at least from what I've researched.**

 ***Hetalia doesn't belong to me. However, Elts, Liene, Liutas, and everyone from their universe does.***

* * *

 **Installment Five**

"Eduard…" Elts' mentor was crying, something that unnerved her greatly. From what she had seen of Eduard, he was the epitome of professionalism. But something shook him enough to hug her, in tears.

"You and your friends were tortured to death so many times. I should have known. About Project Longevity. About you and your friends. I'm the personification of Estonia, damn it! I should have known about this! But I didn't. I had no idea. I am so, so sorry."

"Eduard." Now tears filled her own eyes. She wrapped her arms around the now-shaking boy as tight as she could manage. "There was nothing you could have done; no one in the governments of the world, other than a few corrupt people, knew about Longevity."

"I saw some videos," he said abruptly, leaning against his protégé. "And I saw a lot of pictures. Those 'scientists' were _sick_. They were sadists. I saw you and your friends get shot. And then frozen to death." He gently brushed his hand over the scars on Elts' throat, shoulders, and chest. "I saw pictures of these wounds. You were so strong to endure everything, and were brave for Liene and Liutas. I saw what you looked like before Longevity. You were just a typical teenager, with a typical life. But the Elts I see now, though I know you are tired and hurt, is a hero."

Eduard's words cut deep into her heart; before she could stop herself, she buried her face in the crook of his neck and sobbed. "I'm not a hero," she rasped after her eyes could shed no more tears. "I'm a coward. When I was vivisected, I begged for death. I tried to run away from the scientists, even when Liene and Liutas were still restrained. When I got ahold of a gun, I couldn't even point it the bastard who tortured me because all I could think of was my friends getting shot. Yes, I was one of the leaders of the students' resistance, but I couldn't do anything right! I was a failure, just like Mother said."

"What?" Eduard removed himself from the embrace so he could gently tilt her chin up so that her eyes met his own. Everything she said so far was concerning to him, but the last bit sent up red flags, especially since it seemed to refer to a time before she was taken by the scientists. "Your mother called you a failure?"

"She did a lot more than that." Elts' voice took on an icy tone. "Contrary to what you said, my life was not typical or fun before the organization took me. School proved to be a bit better, but that bastard Ivan ruined what time I had there my second year. He bullied Liu and Liene, too. But before all that?" She shook her head, a bitter smile on her face. "The scientists were not the original artists of 'honor student', Eduard."

The blond's brow furrowed.

"I was an accident; I wasn't supposed to have happened. My parents didn't want a child, but they were stuck with me because they didn't want the stigma of an abortion. However, they quickly found out that I did have a purpose: to be their pose-able doll. My mother was a terrible alcoholic who wanted to live her academic dreams through me. My father agreed with her, though when the abuse started getting extreme—anything lower than a five would warrant a beating—he just up and left. He said I was the one who caused his wife to drink. I was the one who ruined everything for him. After that, Mother became even more unstable. Because of the constant stress, my academic performance plummeted, if you count 'average' as plummeting. When I got a four on a really important exam, Mother just…snapped." Her back throbbed painfully, and she resisted the urge to press the scars. "She…she tied me to the kitchen counter…" Her mouth got dry. "And then she carved _those words_ into my back. In English. I still don't know why she didn't use our language, but I'm grateful she didn't. It would have been ruined if she did." She didn't meet Eduard's eyes when she continued. "The scientists thought it would be funny to reopen the scars. I'm sure they got a good laugh out of it. Liene heard me screaming from down the hallway."

She didn't realize she was crying until Eduard wiped tears off of her cheeks. "That's why coming back to Tallinn was so hard. She ruined it for me."

"You lived in Tallinn?" Elts felt her mentor stiffen.

/

"Yes. Born and raised."

 _No._ Estonia felt his stomach churn. _I live in Tallinn. She was being tortured in her own home, and I was right there. I could have helped her. I could have moved her somewhere else. But because I didn't, she suffered._ Another bout of self-loathing was about to overtake him, but suddenly, his own words to Lithuania sprung into his mind. _"You can't save them all, Toris. I know you want to help, but it's impossible for you to be everywhere at once. I know it hurts, but there's nothing we can do."_

Estonia took a deep breath, trying to relax himself. "You're wrong, Elts," he finally said, once he was composed. "You're one of the bravest, most heroic people I know. And I know a lot of people." He ruffled her hair again, trying to make her see that she wasn't a failure, nor was she a coward. "I know you've gone through so much pain, but like I said before, you made it, didn't you? You're no longer with your mother, nor are you at the lab. You're here. Free."

He realized that he was beginning to get through to her when some of the fog dissipated from her eyes, and she nodded. She looked like she was going to say something, but her stomach beat her to it. She blushed and looked away.

"If you're hungry, dinner's ready. I just might have to warm some of it up again. It's just chicken, carrots, and potatoes, but it should be enough for both of us."

"Thank you." She bowed her head. "I mean, not just for the food. For everything."

"It's no problem, really." And it was true; he genuinely wanted to know his protégé, to become her friend.

As Elts made her way toward the door, though, Estonia realized that she was forgetting something. "Ah, Elts? Aren't you going to put your clothes back on?"

The copper-haired girl blushed before hastily throwing on her turtleneck and slacks. "I'm sorry. We just didn't wear much clothing at the facility, when we were even allowed that comfort. I'm still getting used to not walking around practically naked."

Another thought appeared in his head, and he blurted it out before he had the chance to filter it properly. "Did any of the scientists take advantage of that to…" He stopped himself from continuing the sentence, especially from the reaction Elts gave to it. She stiffened, her hands tightly clenched into fists.

"To me personally, no. But there was one 'test'. The organization wanted to know if, now that we were immortal, we were still fertile. So they sent the most sadistic of the group to find out. He got to pick which of us 'lovely ladies' would be chosen for the 'honor'. He was just supposed to take a sample of one of her eggs, but after the test came back negative, he got mad. We were supposed to still be able to bear children, so that aspect of the experiment was a failure. He didn't like failure. So he took it out on his test subject."

Estonia almost didn't want her to continue, but at the same time, he wanted the information so he could notify the Nation who was most likely taking care of the girl. "Did you know who was chosen?"

The pain in Elts' eyes was so visible that the blond nearly wept for her. "Liene," she finally spat, her shoulders shaking—though this time Estonia could see that it was out of anger, not fear. "She was the one Pyotr picked. All because his son Ivan had feelings for her, and he wanted to break him. So he _used_ her to get to Ivan. And it worked. Ivan eventually killed him, but the damage was already done."

 _Liene? But she's so small._ Estonia felt sick. He had no idea who this 'Pyotr' man was, but he didn't care. Not only did these people torture teenagers in the name of 'world peace', but they had also stooped lower. While it didn't sound like she was forced upon in the traditional sense, her body was still invaded unwillingly.

"He was 201 centimeters tall, Eduard. She didn't stand a chance. He performed a hysterectomy on her without anesthetics, pulling her reproductive organs out through her…" She ended the sentence there, looking away. "It was too much; he hurt her so much during that procedure. She was too small, so he had to shatter her pelvis in order to make it so he could remove everything. And the kicker? He _filmed_ it. And then made Ivan watch it. Liene wasn't the same after that. That 'experiment' gave her constant pain, both physical and emotional."

Estonia resisted the urge to call Latvia that very moment. No, he would wait until Elts was asleep to make that phone call; he didn't want to worry her more than she already was.

By the time he pulled himself from his thoughts, he realized that Elts was already downstairs. The chicken was cold, but Estonia didn't feel like reheating it. The two ate in silence until Elts broke it. "I'm sorry if I'm not eating a lot. It's just taking time for my body to adjust to eating this much food."

"I understand." And he did; he knew Poland went through the same thing when he was liberated from a concentration camp after the war ended.

"This is good, though. But Liutas' cooking was better; she knew how to make even the blandest dish taste delicious." After laughing a bit, her tone turned serious. "Do you miss them, Eduard?"

"Hmm?"

"The other two Baltic personifications. I assume you're close? Do you miss them, too?"

"Yes. I love my independence, but I do miss them a lot. They are my best friends, you know." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "What brought that question on?"

"I was just thinking about my own friends. Liene and Liutas, of course, as well as Taaveti—he's from Finland—and Paula, Jane, and Tobiasz. I…miss them a lot. Especially Liene and Liutas. They were there for me when I was at my lowest. And I was there for them when they were at theirs. We shared a bed at school, you know. It got hard for any of us to sleep alone. I was just wondering if they'd be able to sleep tonight, without someone to hold." Elts wrung her hands, looking almost shy.

 _Ah. I see what she's trying to say._ "Elts? Do you feel uncomfortable sleeping alone, too?"

Not meeting his eyes, she quickly nodded.

"I know we just met and all, but if you wanted to share my bed with me tonight, I wouldn't be opposed to it."

"Thank you," Elts murmured, looking down at her food. "I would really appreciate it. I'm sorry this is so awkward, but—"

Estonia stopped her. "Latvia, Lithuania, and I used to share a bed when we lived together. It was one of the only things that gave us peace in those dark days. Latvia in particular still has trouble sleeping alone. So believe me, I understand where you're coming from."

Elts nodded again.

"I know you're probably still tired, so why don't you get in your pajamas and get ready for bed? I'll take care of the dishes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll join you when I'm done."

After his protégé hurried up the stairs, Estonia went over the events of the evening in his mind. He was especially concerned with what he now knew about Liene, but he wasn't sure how to approach the situation, since he wasn't even sure if Latvia himself knew, or if his government even left Liene in his care. _I'll figure it out later._ He realized he was very tried, more tired than he thought, so he quickly finished washing the dishes before running back to his room.

* * *

 **And now this fic gets even more angsty than it already was, haha, X'DD.**

 **Hopefully, the stuff with Elts and the rest of the characters from her universe is making sense. (Ugh, poor Liene, though. She'll actually show up in the story in a few chapters. I hope people like her...)**

 **Also, yeah, the character who bullied Elts and co.'s name was Ivan. (I just chose a random stereotypical Russian name for him, actually.) He's obviously a different Ivan than Hetalia's Ivan, though, duh. (Different personality than APH Ivan, too, actually.) I just find it funny that, in this scenario, the two Ivans would be stuck with each other, haha. (At least my Ivan's surname begins with a K, so there wouldn't be confusion if they were in the same scene, XD.)**

 **But I digress, XD.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Welcome to Chapter Six! (I honestly thought this story was going to be just a tumblr oneshot, but I just had so many ideas for it, XD.)**

 **This installment gets darker than the previous ones. (Long story short, Elts has a nightmare of one of her tortures, though, luckily, Eduard is there to comfort her.)**

 **Note: this has a graphic description of vivisection. (Please let me know if you think this story's rating should be bumped up to 'M'.)**

 **Eduard isn't confident in his comforting abilities, but Elts is very appreciative of all his efforts.**

 **Hopefully, they have good chemistry together (platonic, I mean).**

 ***Hetalia does not belong to me. Elts and everyone from her universe does, however.***

* * *

 **Installment Six**

After grabbing some assorted pajamas, Estonia made his way to the bathroom, where he quickly changed and brushed his teeth. He didn't want to keep Elts waiting for too long; he knew she was tired, but probably wasn't sleeping because she was waiting for him. Once he reentered his room, he realized his assumption was right.

"I'm sorry," Elts finally said, biting her lip. "I know you probably have work to do, and you don't want to be stuck babying me."

"Elts." The blond's voice was gentle, but firm. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again. It's no problem. For one thing, I'll be at home tomorrow, transferring files between various computers. I'm sure you can even help me with some of it." He undid the blankets on the unused side of the bed and laid down, turning so that he was facing his protégé. "And healing will take time. I know from personal experience. Just don't beat yourself up about it; it's not healthy. I know how much you're scared of being a failure, but believe me when I say that you're not."

Elts nodded, but Estonia wasn't sure if it was just a reflex or her actually agreeing with him. "I'll try," she murmured, her voice slurring with exhaustion. It looked like she was going to say something else, but thought better of it, instead closing her eyes and shifting positions.

This caused Estonia to get the perfect view of her scarred back, which still made his stomach churn. Sighing inwardly, he rested his glasses on his nightstand before turning off the lamp. Even though he barely did anything earlier that day, he was tired.

/

 _Elts was shivering. She was cold and naked and hungry, which only made the fact that she was being paraded around by a panel of scientists even worse. Before she could even take another step, something slammed into the back of her head, and her vision darkened._

 _When she woke, she noticed right away that she was restrained. Something also rested between the table she figured she was displayed on and her back, pushing her chest up._

" _I'm glad you're awake." The voice of head scientist Danutė Vitkauskas snapped Elts from her daze. Your friend Liutas was our control for this experiment, meaning she got anesthetics. The same cannot be said for you, I'm afraid."_

" _Whuh?" Elts mouth would not form the proper words; she was still too groggy. And cold._

" _We're going to see how your body reacts to a vivisection."_

" _Vivi…?" At the moments, Elts couldn't understand English. Her brain was too foggy; her head hurt too much._

 _Some of the fog disappeared when she felt something—_ a scalpel?— _sink into the skin of her shoulder and smoothly move downward until it reached her sternum. The same was done to the other side, and by the time the two incisions met , she was fighting unconsciousness._

" _Now don't go passing out on me yet; the procedure's barely begun." Vitkauskas pressed something against Elts' nose, which, when she breathed in, made her more awake and aware. But before she could say anything, the scientist dragged the scalpel downward, finishing the Y incision._

 _The Estonian screamed, futilely trying to escape the restraints. Blood spilled from the wounds and pooled at her sides, causing her hands to slip as she tried to grab the table. She thought the worst was over, but she was wrong. Her head spun and another set of screams tore from her throat as her skin was ripped from its place, peeled back, and pinned. She was sure that if the pain didn't kill her, blood loss would._

" _My apologies," Vitkauskas said, though his voice sounded weird due to Elts' pain. "It just took more force than I thought to peel your skin. Those pesky breasts were in the way; it would have been easier if you were an 'Eedu' instead of an 'Elts'."_

 _The words had no effect on Elts, who slipped in and out of consciousness. She assumed the same chemical that was used to wake her up before was used again, since she was brought back from her peaceful dark world to one filled with agony._

" _Looks like your heart is beating more rapidly than Liutas'," Vitkauskas mused, turning to the other scientists. "Are you even taking notes? She passed out when we removed her ribs, but that was to be expected."_

 _The researchers conversed amongst themselves, and Vitkauskas barked orders, but Elts was too far gone to understand what they were saying. However, she understood that several scientists were poking at her exposed organs when she felt sharp pain in various parts of her body._

 _More talking. Elts could hear them, but almost as though she was underwater. One phrase stood out from the others, since Vitkauskas was closest to her._

" _We're done here."_

 _Suddenly, there was a sharp, horrible burst in her heart. And then nothing._

With a scream, Elts woke and sat up, her breathing too fast to keep up with. Sobbing, she looked down, desperate to see if she was still cut open. _Something's in the way! Why can't I see it?_ Frantic, she forced her hands to pull her nightgown over her head. The pain started to ebb when all she saw was a thin scar on her pale skin. No blood. No organs or bones. Shaking, she finally realized where she was, and the tears of agony turned to tears of relief. She wrapped her arms around herself and forced her breathing to regulate itself.

Suddenly, she felt warm, and realized that someone had embraced her, pulling her tightly to their chest. "Liene," she murmured. "Thank you." As soon as the words left her lips, however, she realized that her assumption was incorrect. The person currently holding her was too tall, not to mention male.

"Eduard…"

/

Estonia was pulled from his sleep when he heard Elts scream. Blinking the grogginess from his eyes, he sat up, grabbed his glasses, and turned on the lamp. He could see that the girl was in great distress; she was practically hyperventilating, and she kept pressing her hands against her chest. Suddenly, she grabbed the front of her nightgown and yanked it over her head. As soon as she was naked from the waist up, she stared at her chest, tracing a long scar before curling her arms around herself.

Not caring that she was shirtless, Estonia's arms shot out, embracing his protégé and pulling her to his chest.

"Liene… Thank you." Elts relaxed slightly, though her shoulders were still tense. However, she seemed to realize her error when she returned the embrace. "Eduard…"

"You're not there anymore, Elts. You're safe." He repeated the words as he weaved his hand through her hair and rubbed her back. He was disgusted by how thin she was; he could feel her bones jut out through her skin, but he didn't let go.

"They cut me open, Eduard." Elts' breath was hot against his neck. "They peeled my skin back, removed my ribs, and messed with my organs. I think they ended up stabbing my heart, and that's what killed me. Vivisection. That was the word. Since they didn't use anesthetics."

Estonia wanted to throw up. He thought he saw the worst of the scientists' work, but he was wrong. He saw a picture of Elts with her skin peeled back, but he assumed that she was knocked out for it.

"Elts." He said nothing besides that. He wasn't sure what he _could_ say. The girl had been to hell and back, her body and mind ruined , dragged into some adults' attempt to play God. So he didn't speak, instead allowing his hands to convey his sympathy. He rubbed circles onto her back, being careful to avoid her scars.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed in this position, but it wasn't too long before Elts gently pulled him down until he was literally laying on top of her.

"Elts?"

"Feels safer this way," was her only explanation.

Used to Latvia and his particular sleeping preferences, Estonia merely nodded, placing his glasses back on the nightstand and turning off the lamp.

"Goodnight, Eduard. And thanks."

Shifting positions so that he wasn't crushing her, he brushed her hair away from her forehead. "Goodnight, Elts."

The extra warmth made his limbs relax, and he found himself falling asleep even faster than before.

/

 **And the plot thickens…**

 **Poor Elts… She basically got the same treatment Latvia did when he was vivisected in TWL…**

 **Also, in case anyone was wondering, Elts and her friends are sixteen. (I don't think I mentioned her age, in this. But she was taken to the lab when she was fifteen, and had her birthday there.)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Welcome to Chapter Seven of this story. While the other chapters were from at least six months ago, this one was written a few days ago. It is also the last of the pre-written chapters.**

 **After six months of not even thinking about this, I was suddenly inspired to write another installment of it. (Even though I have no inspiration for Elts' story right now, and I'm busy working on other projects.)**

 **This one expands this story's universe even further by dragging Latvia and Lithuania (and their respective protégés) into the mix.**

 **I almost feel embarrassed by how long I'm actually making this, since the first installment was just supposed to be a 'what if Hetalia and my original story were part of the same universe' scenario, but I'm just having so much fun writing this!**

 **Since inspiration for this comes and goes, I have no idea when I will write the next installment of this. (Just letting readers know in advance.)**

 ***Hetalia does not belong to me, blah, blah, blah. Elts and the other characters from her universe do, however, blah blah, blah.***

* * *

 **Installment Seven**

The first thing Eduard noticed when he woke up was bare skin. Squinting his still-tired eyes, he sat up, realizing that Elts was shirtless. Confusion overtook him for a few moments before he remembered that the copper-haired girl threw off her nightgown during a panic attack.

The morning light made it possible for Eduard to see the detailed extent of the scars on his protégé's chest and torso. _It's worse than I thought._ He particularly winced at a pink 'Y' that traveled from her shoulders down past her navel.

After a few moments, Elts stirred, rubbing her eyes before sitting up. Looking down, she quickly pulled the blanket up so it covered her chest, her cheeks going pink. "I am so sorry about that."

"It's okay. You had a panic attack."

"Yeah, but this is the second time I've ended up throwing off my shirt around you. It's indecent. I—"

Eduard cut her off. "It's not a big deal. I've been around for a long time, Elts. I've seen people of both genders with less on than you." Realizing that what he said could be taken the wrong way, he clarified, "Lithuania, Latvia, and I were sent to Siberia along with our people. We weren't there for as long, but still. And during wars, I helped out in the hospitals. Believe me, nudity is nothing new, nor shameful, to me."

Elts nodded, though she didn't meet her mentor's eyes. "Not even Taaveti saw me this way, until we got to the facility, that is."

"I take it you were dating this 'Taaveti', then?" Eduard knew he had work to do, but he wanted to know more about Elts that didn't have to do with the facility.

"Yeah, but not anymore. We found it was better to stay friends. Which was a good thing. He helped me so much, and I didn't want to lose him." Her grip on the blanket tightened. "He started out as an online friend, and his messages made living with my mother bearable. If I didn't have him, I probably would have killed myself before I even made it to Saint Francis International Academy. When I discovered he was chosen to represent Finland, I couldn't believe it. He was my first friend there, before I met Liene and Liutas."

Eduard was about to respond, but the familiar sound of his phone going off stopped him. "I'll be right back, Elts. You can help me with work afterward."

Grabbing his phone off the nightstand, he looked to see who was calling before leaving his room and answering it. "Raivis?"

"Eduard, I can't do this…"

"What?" Usually, Latvia would at least begin his phone calls with a greeting. He hadn't heard the younger boy this unnerved in a long time.

"She's hurting so badly, and I don't know what to do!"

"Raivis. Calm down. Who are you talking about?" Estonia had an assumption, but he wanted to make sure he was correct before he said anything.

"Miss Liene!" the Latvian choked out. "She was a successful test subject for that immortality project I'm pretty sure your government told you about. Except it _ruined_ her. She needs help walking, and she can barely eat. Moving too much hurts her, but she says she hates being idle because it allows her fears to consume her." Latvia took a deep breath. "I had to help her shower, yesterday. She tried on her own, but she couldn't do it. I saw her _naked_ , Eduard. She was so humiliated, but she toughed it out because the water on her back calmed her. And her body. It was all covered in scars, scars that would put Toris' to shame. I…I can't help her. I can barely help myself!"

Estonia felt sick. From what Elts told him about Liene, the damage was deep, but hearing its severity from Latvia made everything seem worse. Before his brain could recognize what he was saying, he blurted, "Why don't you and Liene visit me and Elts? That way, they can comfort each other, while we can discuss this more thoroughly."

"So you want us to leave now?" Latvia asked incredulously. "I mean, I know I can get my pilot to fly us over to Tallinn, but are you sure you want to host us? I'm sure you have work to do."

"Of course I have work to do, Raivis. But this is more important. Elts—the Estonian test subject—told me some very disturbing things about what happened, specifically what happened to Liene, so I feel like having them seeing each other again might help with the healing process." Estonia tapped his fingers on the table. "Now that I think of it, Toris and Liutas should join too, if they can. Keeping the girls apart isn't helping them."

Latvia could barely get a word out before a soft, female voice could be heard on his end of the line.

 _Of course he'd put it on speaker; he always does that for some reason._ The exasperated smile on Estonia's face quickly evaporated when he realized that the girl was probably in tears.

"I hate to ask," she murmured, "but do you have any, um, napkins?"

"Like for food? I do have plates if you want to eat anything; don't worry about getting them dirty," Latvia offered.

"No, not those kinds of napkins. I mean, ah…the ones for girls."

"Oh." Estonia could just sense the blush on his friend's face. "No, I don't. I can run out for some. And I can make you some tea for cramps; Ukraine taught me which ones are good for them…"

"Thank you, but I don't need that. I don't have monthlies anymore. I…" She cut herself off, though a gasp tore itself from her throat.

"Then why do you need feminine products?"

"Never mind; can hand'l this m'self. I…I have t' go." Before Estonia could think of why her words were slurred, another pained gasp was heard, as well as the sound of footsteps running off.

"Now you see," Latvia finally said, his voice wearier than it had been in a long time. "I can't do this. She deserves someone better to be a caretaker."

"I'm sure she thinks very highly of you; you're treating her better than anyone has in months. She's just…" Estonia wasn't even sure how to phrase what he was thinking.

"I know." Latvia sighed. "I'll be over as soon as I can; I really need to talk to you in person."

A distant cry made the short blond gasp. "Shit. I'm sorry, Eduard, but I have to go. I think Miss Liene needs me."

Before Estonia could say goodbye, his friend ended the call. Sighing, he turned around, only to jump because someone was behind him.

"It's Liene, isn't it?" Elts wrung her hands, her knuckles white.

Estonia wasn't about to lie to his (extremely intelligent) protégé. "Yes. She…she's not doing too well. Latvia's trying his best, but…"

"I know. She physically heals faster than me, but the damage done to her was so severe that the rapid healing can't keep up. And some things just can't be healed fully." Elts looked both pained and worried. "But you probably guessed that already." After a few moments of silence, she spoke again. "What is Latvia like?"

"You're actually going to see for yourself; he should be here in a few hours. Liene too."

"They're visiting?" At the mention of Liene's name, Estonia could see the copper-haired girl's eyes light up.

"Yes. And that reminds me…" He quickly dialed Lithuania's number.

After a brief explanation of the situation, Estonia was relieved. Lithuania and Liutas would be joining everyone, as well. Though, surprisingly, Estonia learned that Liutas seemed to be coping quite well, in contrast to Elts and Liene.

"Sorry for cutting you off, Elts. Lithuania and Liutas will be joining us too."

"It'll be a party, then." Though the statement was obviously a joke, it was said with such a tired tone, like her voice wasn't able to portray sarcasm anymore. Estonia almost hugged Elts again, but thought better of it, especially since she seemed to be lost in thought over Liene.

"Yeah," he finally responded. "It'll be a party."

* * *

 **The next chapter will introduce Liene and Liutas, as well as bringing Latvia and Lithuania into the plot, as well. That should be fun to write, XDD.**

 **Also, Latvia's been around for like, ever. Someone mentioning their period doesn't faze him, XDD.**

 **For anyone reading this, thanks for sticking with this story. I hope you're enjoying it so far! I know it's a strange concept, but it somehow works, I think.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Welcome to the next installment of 'Duality'! Thanks for sticking with the story this far!**

 **This one introduces the other Baltic representatives, as well as brings Latvia and Lithuania into the story.**

… **I'll find it hilarious if people actually shipped Elts and Eduard together, XDD. (I was trying to make their bond platonic, but if people get shippy vibes from them instead, I don't mind, haha.)**

 **Also, I am currently obsessed with Star Wars, hence the little nods to it in this chapter, X'D.**

 ***Hetalia does not belong to me. Elts, Liutas, and Liene do, however.***

* * *

 **Installment Eight**

Estonia and Elts had a few hours to kill before their friends arrived, but instead of working, the two found themselves curled up on the couch together, watching a movie. Elts shyly requested the original _Star Wars_ , and Estonia happily obliged; he had all the movies on DVD. When the movie started, they were at opposite ends of the couch, but as it progressed, the closer they shifted. When the doorbell finally rang, they were sharing a blanket, with Elts' head resting on Estonia's shoulder. He was almost disappointed to pause the movie; he had never seen the copper-haired girl look so serene.

Resisting the urge to laugh at the unfortunate face Luke Skywalker was making during the pause, Estonia quickly ushered Latvia inside. The short nation was followed by an equally-small (and nervous-looking) girl. Estonia recognized her as Liene from the videos, though she had put on some weight since them.

"Ah, welcome," he began awkwardly, not sure what to say. "Toris and Liutas should be here soon, actually."

"Did you have to pause on that moment?" Liene scrunched up her nose. "I can't even look in your direction without seeing Luke all…" Not knowing how to describe it, she made the same face.

Rolling his eyes, Estonia switched the screen off. After the conversation he overheard this morning, he was glad Liene was feeling well enough to joke around.

"Do you mind if I use your bathroom, though?" The expression on the shortest girl's face looked serious.

"It's upstairs. Elts can show you where it is."

Looking as though something dawned on her, Liene ran—as fast as her limp would allow her, that is—over to the couch and literally jumped onto Elts.

"Oh God, it's so good to see you!" She hugged the copper-haired girl tighter than Estonia thought possible.

Elts held her friend close, rubbing her back. "I've missed you so much. It's so hard being…" She let the end of her sentence trail off, as though she didn't know how to phrase what she wanted to say in English.

"Let's go upstairs," she finally continued. "I have a feeling you might need my help."

Nodding, Liene allowed the taller girl to carry her upstairs.

Estonia was amazed at this feat; Elts was so frail; he couldn't understand how she was able to withstand so much physical labor, especially since it was obvious she didn't have any unnatural strength.

Realizing that Latvia was still in the room, he gestured his friend to join him in the kitchen, where they took seats at the table.

"So, Liene seems a little better than she was earlier." Estonia drummed his fingers on the table.

"After the incident this morning, she explained what happened to her." Latvia looked like he was going to throw up. "She needs surgery, Eduard. A proper one. So I got in contact with a doctor that knows about us nations and set up an appointment for her with him." The smaller blond sighed. "Why didn't my government approve her for one right away? I know that all the test subjects were given preliminary medical care before being tossed to us. It's obvious that she's in a lot of pain. She still bleeds from it, and it's been a month."

"I don't know why they didn't help her, Raivis." Estonia was asking himself the same question. He was about to add something to his response, but the doorbell going off interrupted him.

"That must be Toris and Liutas."

He was right.

"Sorry we're late; we sort of got caught in traffic." Lithuania rubbed the back of his head.

"Hello, Eduard." Liutas turned to the Estonian. "Toris has told me so much about you."

"All good things, I hope."

"Oh yeah, all good things." Liutas smiled warmly. Estonia noticed that she looked the healthiest of the three girls, though even she had dark circles under her eyes, and occasional tremors.

"Elts and Liene are upstairs. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you."

"Thank you, Eduard. I will join them." With a nod, the blonde walked up the stairs.

"How is she doing? I can sense that some of this cheeriness is an act." Estonia turned to Lithuania.

"Surprisingly, pretty well. Of course, she can't sleep alone, but besides that, she's been helping me with some paperwork. She is very worried about her friends, though."

"And for good reason. I'm getting through to Elts, but she'll need some time to just relax before I make her do any work."

"Same with Liene." Latvia nodded. "She tried so hard to help me with my own paperwork, but due to her physical pain, it's hard for her to stay focused and still for long periods of time."

Lithuania winced. "I still can't believe those scientists would stoop so low. Yes, the test subjects are immortal now, but the fact that they were tortured to death over and over again?" The brunet looked sick.

"I know." Estonia looked down. "I watched some videos of the experimentation. It was disgusting. And I've seen the scars on Elts."

Latvia shuddered. "Liene's are bad, too. That poor girl… She also told me that most, of her non-vital organs are gone, ripped out of her while she was still conscious. I can't even imagine what that must have been like."

"Liutas showed me the scars on her back, but I don't think her organs were ripped out, from what she's told me." Lithuania narrowed his eyes.

"I just don't know what to do. How can I take care of her when I can barely take care of myself?" Latvia wrung his hands.

"Don't beat yourself up, Raivis." Estonia placed a hand gently on his shoulder. "Like I said before, Liene most likely understands. She reminds me a bit of you, actually. Maybe ask her about hobbies, or movies she likes. I had no idea Elts liked _Star Wars_ until we decided to watch a movie today. The less she focuses on her time with the scientists, the better."

"And make sure she keeps in contact with her friends," Lithuania added. "Liutas skyped with the American test subjects today, which helped her relax more, I think. She's dating the one from California—Paula is her name, I think. And America himself was with them, which surprisingly put her at ease. Alfred always was good at cheering people up; I know it worked for me."

Estonia could have sworn that Lithuania was blushing, but said nothing about it. Instead, he changed the subject. "It seems pretty quiet upstairs. Maybe we should check on them?"

"That sounds like a good idea. I'm also interested in meeting Elts and Liene." Lithuania stood up. Latvia and Estonia followed suit.

* * *

 **Dun dun dun, cliffhanger! The next chapter will show how the girls are faring, and how they interact with all the Baltics.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Welcome to another chapter!**

 **This one will show the girls interacting with the Baltics.**

 **I still can't believe that this story was supposed to be a oneshot! It's just too much fun to write!**

 ***I do not own Hetalia. I do own Elts, Liene, and Liutas, however.***

* * *

 **Installment Nine**

The Baltics quickly discovered that their protégés were not in Elts' room. However, they did hear running water, so Estonia assumed that one of the girls wanted to take a bath. Wanting to make sure that they—especially Elts, since he knew her the best—were okay, he hesitantly knocked on the door.

"Come in!" was Elts' muffled response.

Looking quizzically at the other two Baltics, Estonia shrugged before opening the door. Liutas was sitting on the sink, wrapped up in a fluffy towel that he knew wasn't his, while Elts sat primly on the closed toilet seat, also clothed in a towel (though this one w _as_ his). Liene, however, was already in the almost-filled bath, though she was short enough that only her head, neck, and shoulders were visible. Since all three were relatively decent in terms of dress (or lack there of, in regard to Liene), Estonia didn't feel as awkward being in the room with them.

"So, I take it you all want to take a bath?" Lithuania asked.

Elts raised an eyebrow at Estonia, in an almost 'really, he asked that?' sort of gesture.

"Yeah," Liutas finally responded. "It's very comforting, for us. And hey, in Japan, bathhouses are popular, and it's a bunch of people naked together, so I don't think this is that weird…"

Lithuania held up a hand. "I wasn't even going to say it was weird. Back when Estonia, Latvia, and I lived with Russia, sometimes we'd take baths together, too. It comforted us, just like it comforts you. Believe me, we all understand."

"Yeah, we'll leave you alone now so you don't have to keep awkwardly grabbing your towel." Latvia gestured to Elts.

"Raivis!" Estonia hissed, noticing the blush forming on Elts' face. "That was so rude!"

"What? It's true, though!"

A glare from Lithuania caused him to shrug. "Okay, I'm sorry. We'll leave now."

/

As soon as the three nations left the room, Liutas let her towel drop.

"I think the water's filled up enough." She quickly turned off the faucet. "Move over, Liene."

The shortest girl complied, and Liutas slid into the bath, sighing. "It's so relaxing already!"

"Hey, Elts, there's enough room for you, too!" Liene smiled, gesturing towards the last open spot.

Biting her lip, Elts slowly unwrapped her towel and stepped into the tub, though she didn't meet any of her friends' eyes.

"What's wrong?" Liene tilted her head.

"You two look like you've healed more than me. I look like a skeleton."

"Elts, we know your rapid healing is damaged. Of course you'll take longer to heal and put on some weight. And it doesn't matter to us; you're perfect the way you are." Liutas wrapped her arms around Elts, who had tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

"Yeah, and you still look pretty hot!" Liene chimed in.

"Thanks, guys."

The three were silent for awhile, until Liutas brought up another topic. "So, what do you think of these nations?"

"Before all the experimentation, I wouldn't have believed the idea. But now? It makes perfect sense to me." Elts leaned back.

"I'm glad there's another set of immortals for us to interact with, too," stated Liene. "And Raivis is so friendly. I know he thinks he's doing a bad job as a mentor, but he's shown me more kindness than anyone outside of our friend group has. Plus," she blushed, "he's really cute. And he's handling my…" she gestured at her body. "Fairly well, actually."

"Toris is probably the sweetest guy I've come across, too," Liutas added. "I found out he's even into swordsmanship, so he told me we could spar sometime. How awesome is that? Sparring with my own nation!" She turned to Elts. "What about you?"

"I'm probably the only protégé besides you two who likes living here better than back at home. Eduard is amazing; he's sort of like Taaveti in terms of the nerdiness, but without the 'invites himself over to my room with some booze, gets tipsy, messes up my room, then leaves' aspect to him."

"I remember that!" Liene exclaimed. "It reminded me of this entry about Tallinn I saw in a travel guide so long ago."

"Let me guess, drunken Finns?" Liutas teased.

Elts sank deeper into the water.

Soon, the three were embracing and laughing, laughing till they cried. None of them were sure whether or not the tears were of happiness or of bittersweet longing, so they wiped them away quickly and tried not to dwell on them too much.

/

The walls in Estonia's house were thin, so even though he and the other Baltics didn't want to intentionally listen in on their protégés' conversation, they ended up hearing most of it.

"Liene thinks I'm cute?" Latvia marveled, a blush tinting his cheeks pink.

"And see? She thinks you're doing a great job as a mentor," Lithuania pointed out. "So you can stop worrying about it!"

Latvia nodded, holding a hand to one of his cheeks. Estonia could swear that he was muttering 'Cute?' under his breath.

"They're sweet girls," Lithuania stated, sitting on Estonia's desk chair. "They didn't deserve all the hardships they went through."

Estonia nodded. "They're strong, though. I know they can heal. It will just take time. And a little help from us."

The three sat silently for awhile, until they heard the water being drained. Soon after, the girls exited the bathroom, now freshly dressed and smelling of flowers.

"It's a new lotion," Liutas explained. "Paula gave it to me before I returned to Lithuania."

The mention of the American made Estonia remember what he wanted to tell his new friends. "Now that you're with us, you get to attend world meetings along with us. And there just happens to be one in two weeks."

"Does that mean we get to see the others?" Liutas inquired.

"Yes," Lithuania answered. "You will also be able to meet the other nations, as well."

A look of genuine interest and happiness appeared on Elts' face, and Estonia's chest filled with warmth. He suddenly wished Elts would smile more, though he dismissed the thought quickly, knowing that it would take time for her to do so. But he would wait; it was worth it.

* * *

 **Ooh, does Estonia have a crush, or is he just feeling at ease around Elts? (Personally, I see their bond as platonic, but I can see where this is starting to sound romantic, haha.)**

 **Next installment will have the world meeting, and introduce more Nations and Representatives!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Oh man, it's been more than a month since I've updated this. Whoops, X'D.**

 **This chapter skips forward a few weeks, to the world meeting. Since more characters (both canon Hetalia ones and my own) will be introduced, this one will be longer than the previous chapter.**

 **It will also introduce some conflict to the story, dun dun DUN!**

 ***Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya. The OCs belong to me.***

* * *

 **Installment Ten**

Liene, Liutas, and their mentors spent one night at Estonia's home before heading back to their own countries. After they left, Elts retreated back into her shell, though she became a little happier when Estonia reminded her that there was a world meeting in a few weeks that everyone would attend.

And those two weeks went by quicker than Elts thought. After her head started to feel a bit better, she helped the personification with his paperwork, as well as any computer-related problems that arose. She began to get into a routine, which helped her feel more at-ease in her new home.

Currently, it was the evening before the meeting, and Elts and Estonia were waiting at the airport for their flight to Berlin.

"There is something you should know," Elts began, her voice very quiet.

"What?" Estonia narrowed his eyes.

"Remember when I told you that all of the students worked together to protect ourselves?"

She waited for the blond's nod before she continued.

"Well, even though we worked together, not all of us got along, especially while we were at the school. Liutas had a rivalry with Pru Wagner, but they made up." She paused, trying to collect her jumbled thoughts. "To put it bluntly, there is one person at this world meeting that I cannot stand. Not after what he did to Liutas and Liene, and to an extent, me."

"Who are you talking about?" Estonia looked puzzled.

"Ivan Korovichenko," she muttered bitterly. "I'd call him a bully, but that doesn't cover half of how he treated us. And others, as well. He made our lives at school hell. And now he thinks that since he helped us out back at the lab, that it cancels everything else out, and we're friends. No."

Elts wanted to say more, but she found that her throat felt achy, like there was a huge lump in it. She said nothing when Estonia wrapped his arm around her shoulders in a gesture of silent comfort.

They stayed that way until they boarded their flight. As the plane took off, Elts' bad mood started to disappear. She found herself relaxing as she looked out the window.

When they made it to the conference center hotel, they quickly found their room.

Exhausted, even though the flight was only a little less than two and a half hours, Elts flopped onto one of the two beds, and promptly fell asleep.

/

After a quick breakfast, Estonia guided his protégé into the meeting room.

Elts was fascinated by the world meeting, and it hadn't even started yet. Everyone was talking, and normally, she would find that extremely overwhelming, but for some reason, she felt more at-ease. The loudest voices came from the North American corner of the table, unsurprisingly. Alfred–America's personification, according to Estonia–was discussing something animatedly with Jane Smith, who was equally enthusiastic. Paula Jacobs added in her two cents every now-and-then, though her voice and hand gestures were flippant. Candace Johnson and a young man who Elts assumed was Canada had their own conversation going on, though the former kept raising her voice in order to be heard over the trio.

"Loud, isn't it?"

Elts turned to her mentor and nodded. "It's nice, though. Feels–what's the word?–homely."

"I think you mean 'homey'. 'Homely' means to look plain." Estonia pushed his glasses further up on his nose.

"And this is why I hate speaking English," Elts grumbled, switching to their shared native tongue. "Too many stupid words…" She was about to continue her rant, but her eyes met the gaze of the one person she was hoping to avoid. He smiled at her, and the expression made her want to vomit.

"Damn it," she swore, returning to English (she liked the sound of its vulgarities). "Now that I've made eye contact, I can expect an interaction later…"

"What?" Estonia turned to where the copper-haired girl previously looked. "You know Russia?"

"No, not him." Elts shook her head, though she tilted it towards the tall young man sitting next to the large nation. "Him."

"I don't think I recognize him from any of the information I was sent. Who is he?" Estonia looked puzzled, though his expression turned into one of great thought. "Oh. Is that–" He was cut off by Elts.

"Yeah. The bastard who ruined my life. Well, ruined it more than it was already…" She tried to compose herself, but the bitterness oozed from her words naturally. "I swear, if he tries to make a scene here, I won't hold back. I am done being walked over. And I am not in the mood for his 'friendship' bullshit. Not now."

Estonia placed a hand on her shoulder, sensing her discomfort. "I'll introduce you to some friends of mine before the meeting starts. I bet Denmark would love to talk to you. You're friends with his protégé, right?"

"Yeah." Elts was only half-listening. She wondered if flipping Ivan Korovichenko the bird would be a wise idea, but she thought better of it. She didn't want Russia's personification to think the gesture was for him instead. She had nothing against him, not yet, at least, and she would be mortified if she accidentally insulted him. Instead, she threw his protégé the nastiest glare she could produce before joining Estonia at the Nordic side of the table.

Elts was on autopilot as Estonia introduced her to the five Nordic personifications. She nodded and shook their hands, though Denmark's and Finland's handshakes in particular were a lot more enthusiastic than she expected.

"Are you okay?" the boy known as Iceland inquired, narrowing his eyes. "You don't look so good."

"He's right. Do you need any medicine, Elts?" Thorbjørn, one of Elts' good friends, as well as Denmark's protégé, gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm all right," she finally said. "Just a little tired, and overwhelmed. I haven't seen all of you in a few months, and this is the first time I'm meeting the Nations, besides Lithuania and Latvia. To be honest, I'm a little intimidated." There was no mention of Ivan, even though he was the biggest reason her muscles were tensed.

Finland looked like he was about to say something, but Germany's harsh voice stopped him.

"Looks like the meeting's starting," Estonia whispered. "Let's head back to our spots."

Nodding, Elts followed the blond's lead and took a seat next to him. Some of her stomachache went away when she realized Liene sat next to her.

As soon as her back made contact with the chair, she slightly recoiled. Liene noticed this and grabbed her hand. As the meeting continued, this gesture was the only thing keeping Elts grounded.

Ivan kept staring at her, as well as at Liutas and Liene, though all three brought out different emotions in him, and it was starting to really unnerve Elts. The glares were for her, the softened eyes were for Liutas, and for Liene? It was a mixture of sadness and longing, which scared Elts the most. She tightened her grip on Liene's hand and discreetly shifted closer to her.

/

When the meeting finally came to a close, Elts realized that she had no idea what was even being discussed. Estonia spoke once or twice, but she couldn't even remember why.

 _Shit. I was so focused on Ivan that I completely forgot to pay attention to the meeting!_ She felt disgusted with herself; she was an honor student, after all. And honor students paid attention during important meetings.

"I have to ask Germany some questions, just so I can prepare for tomorrow's meeting," Estonia began, trying to make eye contact with Elts. "You remember where our room is, right? I'll meet you there. Do you have a room key?"

Relieved that she could finally leave the stifling meeting room, Elts nodded, pulling the card out of her jacket's pocket to show that she had it before quickly putting it back.

After exiting the room, Elts felt a little better. It was easier for her to breathe, and the quiet felt great against her now-throbbing head. She finally began to relax her muscles when a hand grabbed her shoulder and harshly turned her around.

"Ivan!" she spat, knowing exactly who the person was before she looked at him. "Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?"

"You were glaring at me so rudely during the meeting. I wanted to know what was wrong."

"What was _wrong?_ " Elts raised her voice. "Don't pretend you don't know. Even here, even now, you're still finding ways to haunt us. Why can't you just leave us alone? None of us want to be your friend, especially not me. You can't just think that, because you helped us at the lab, we're somehow friends, that it negates every harmful word you said to us, every bruise you gave Liutas and Liene!"

As she stopped to take a breath, she noticed the tall Nation standing next to her old enemy. _Russia. I wonder what he thinks of Ivan…_

"Vanya, who is she?"

Elts was surprised; the large man's voice was softer than she expected.

Ivan shrugged as he began to walk away. "Nobody."

That was the last straw for Elts. Without thinking, she yanked off her shoe and hurled it as hard as she could at the back of Ivan's head. As soon as it hit her target, she yelled, "Could 'nobody' do that?"

Before she could even blink, Ivan whirled around, jamming his fist into Elts' stomach.

The copper-haired girl doubled over, pain filling her body. She resisted the urge to vomit and shakily stood up.

"After all I did for you, this is how you repay me?"

Elts was no match for Ivan, who grabbed her by the front of her jacket and harshly tossed her against the wall. As soon as her head hit the brick, her vision swam. She tried to get up again, but her body just wasn't responding correctly.

Her eyes widened as Ivan's foot rested on her chest. As he began to add pressure to it, she whimpered.

"Help!" she choked, her voice little more than a hoarse whisper. "Russia, please. Call him off!"

"This is not my fight, little one," was all the Nation said, though not unkindly.

"Please! He's your protégé! I screwed up; I shouldn't have reacted that way!" Tears fell from Elts' eyes as the pressure got stronger. "Please, Rus—"

A loud cracking sound interrupted her. Immediately following it was the worst pain Elts experienced in months.

Unable to hold back any longer, she screamed. Another crack made her already-battered body convulse as she tried to escape, her throat sore as another agonized cry was ripped from it.

Elts was at her limit; her head pounded, and her chest was on fire. Black spots danced at the corners of her eyes, and time seemed to slow down.

She was vaguely aware of Russia yanking the blond boy off of her, pushing him against the wall.

"What have you done?" The softness of the Nation's voice was gone, an icy tone replacing it. "What have you done?" he repeated.

Elts' world turned black before she could hear her tormentor's answer.

* * *

 **And this is the end to this…eventful…chapter.**

 **Isn't Ivan (my Ivan, I mean, not Russia) a total douche? What's interesting is that he and Elts have similar backstories, as well as similar reactions to being a test subject. However, while Elts lashes out at herself, Ivan lashes out at others. (Especially those he finds 'inferior'.) In the story, he is Elts', Liene's, and Liutas' main antagonist, as he bullies them relentlessly. More information on him will be given in future chapters.**

 **(I really shot myself in the foot with this chapter, though; I forgot that both Russia and my Russian character share the same given name, so it'll be interesting to write the rest of this chapter. …At least they look different, haha. Oh, and it's probably obvious from this excerpt, but Elts hates Ivan K. [He bullied her back when they were at school].)**

 **Dude, Ivan, you really messed up. Russia's not the friendliest personification out there, and even _he_ thinks you went too far. That's saying something…**

 **See you next chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Wow! It's been forever since I've updated this! (I just sadly haven't had inspiration until now.)**

 **Poor Elts… She's in for a pretty rough ride after the events of the previous chapter… Good thing Estonia and the rest of her friends are there to support her.**

 **And speaking of her injuries, yikes. Ivan did a number on her. If she was human, she would have needed to see a doctor, and a drainage tube might have been placed in her chest to get rid of the blood and other unneeded fluids in her punctured lung. But since seeing a doctor would have been a bad idea (not to mention she's immortal), the injuries are taken care of at the hotel. (Though that would not be pleasant for poor Elts to experience…)**

 ***The Hetalia characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya. The other characters belong to me.***

* * *

 **Installment Eleven**

When Elts came to, she noticed that Ivan and Russia were gone. Her eyes blurred with tears, but she forced herself to get up. The sudden change in movement nearly caused her to scream; the pain in her chest was excruciating. Through sheer will alone, she managed to stand.

 _You can do it,_ she chided herself. _It's not much longer to Eduard's room. Only a few hallways, and then the elevator. Then I can rest…_

But with each step, with each breath, the pain increased tenfold. To distract herself, she silently recited the Periodic Table. She made it to the second hallway when she literally bumped into someone.

Stifling a whimper, she looked up, meeting the teal eyes of Eduard.

"Oh, Elts, there you are! Were you exploring the conference center?"

Elts shook her head, too overwhelmed by the agony in her chest to answer.

"What happened?" Eduard narrowed his eyes, observant as always. "You don't look good at all. Are you sick?"

"Ivan tried t' be friendly," she slurred, her voice sounding strange, even to her. "Tried to manip'late me. So confrontation happened, and he tossed me 'round. Smashed his foot into my chest a few times…"

Elts realized she had overexerted herself when she was overtaken by a bout of coughing so painful that one hand dug into Eduard's jacket to keep herself steady, while the other grabbed at her chest.

She felt something warm, foul-tasting, and thick shoot up her throat, though it slowly dripped down her chin.

"Please," she whispered, her voice garbled from the blood that exited her mouth. "Help me."

After she spoke, she was hit by a stabbing sensation so severe that she collapsed against Eduard, her vision going dark.

/

Estonia wrapped his arms around Elts before she could fall to the ground. While he only knew the basics from what his protégé had told him, he recognized that she needed medical attention, though it would be impossible to attain given what she was.

Not knowing what else to do, he gently carried her back to their room and placed her on her bed. She woke a few times during this process, but fell back into unconsciousness after taking a few shuddering breaths and drooling more blood.

After this repeated a few times, Estonia grabbed his phone and called the only person he knew with advanced medical knowledge.

"Szia _, Eduard! It's been so long since we've talked!"_

"Erzsébet! I wish I was calling under pleasant circumstances, but I need your help."

 _"What's the matter?"_ Hungary's voice went from casual to concerned.

"It's Elts, my protégé. She's hurt, and coughing up blood. I think she has a punctured lung."

 _"Punctured lung? Ed, what's going on?"_

"I will explain more when you get here. I know she's immortal, and this probably isn't fatal, but she can't walk, and she's in a lot of pain. I…I don't know what to do. I only know how to deal with external injuries."

 _"I will be right over. Just let me grab some things. What room are you in?"_

"530."

 _"Got it."_

Hungary ended the call, so Estonia placed his phone back on the nightstand and sighed. From his previous conversation with Elts, he knew that Ivan bullied her, but he didn't expect the taller boy to take it that far.

 _Then again, I shouldn't be surprised, given who his mentor is._ He wrinkled his nose, hating the fact that Elts—and from what she told him, her friends—had gone through, and were still going through, similar things as he, Latvia, and Lithuania had.

Estonia sat on the bed next to Elts, looking for signs of movement, until there was a knock on the door.

"Ed? It's Erzsébet."

He quickly let her in, closing the door behind him and locking it.

"What happened to her?" Hungary laid a towel on the table next to the bed, followed by her supplies. "Has she woken up at all since you brought her here?"

"She was attacked by one of her fellow classmates, an old bully of hers, and has regained consciousness on and off," Estonia replied, turning back to Elts as she groaned, then slowly blinked.

"Eduard? Who'se'sat?" After the slurred question, she coughed, more blood spilling from her mouth. "Wha's happening?"

It was at this point that Estonia realized that Elts was speaking in English, most likely to include Hungary in the conversation.

"This is the personification of Hungary," he began gently, not wanting to irritate her presumably-aching head by speaking loudly. "And you don't need to speak English if it's too much for you; she won't mind."

"Uh-huh. Got it." She nodded, though after taking another shuddering breath, her head lolled to the side.

Concerned, Hungary leaned over the now-unconscious girl and gently lifted one eyelid, followed by the other.

"Her pupils are unequal sizes. And by the way she's talking, her lung isn't the only problem; it looks like she has a concussion. Unconsciousness is dangerous for her, but if I'm going to see exactly how hurt she is, it's the best option. Because fixing this will be excruciating without anesthetics."

Estonia clenched his fists; not only was he worried, he was angry. "I can't believe he would do this to her. Especially since they were just freed from the lab, and she was already getting over a concussion."

"Who hurt her, Eduard? Because though I don't know her, these injuries are no laughing matter. I think whoever it is deserves a visit from me." Hungary's eyes were cold.

"The Russian protégé."

"Some things never change, do they? The players are different, but the game is the same…" Hungary sighed, shaking her head.

Turning to Elts, she removed the blanket that was draped across her. "I'm going to have to remove her shirt to see the extent of the damage. Would you mind turning around until I cover her chest with something?"

Estonia complied, even though this wouldn't have been the first time he saw Elts shirtless. He knew that his protégé embarrassed about her body, though, so, unconscious or not, he was going to respect that and give her modesty.

"You can turn around now, Ed."

When Estonia glanced down at Elts, he winced at the fresh bruises that were scattered all over her bare upper-body, even disappearing under the towel that was draped over her breasts. Right below that, her torso looked painfully swollen on both sides.

"She has six broken ribs and two cracked ones," Hungary stated, her eyes sad. "That is my guess, but I can feel the breaks. She must be in so much pain…" She shook her head. "And you were right; I'm pretty sure her right lung is punctured, given the position of the shattered bone. It must have stabbed her when it was broken."

Though Estonia had never met Ivan Korovichenko, he really wanted to punch him. "What can we do about that?"

"First, I need to drain the excess blood and fluid from the puncture."

"How on earth are you going to do that?"

"If she was at a medical facility, a drainage tube would be placed in the wound for a few hours. But since she's not, and I don't have one, I did the next best thing: made my own. I'm just glad I had this stuff with me, and that you told me the potential injury before I left the room. Because the sooner this is done, the better she'll feel."

Hungary pulled a small, hard plastic tube from her bag, as well as a thin rubber hose, some tape, and an empty soda bottle. "Be lucky she is unconscious; I need to cut into her chest in order to insert this."

With dexterous hands, she quickly covered one end of the tube with the hose and taped around it so it would stay together. "Hold this, please."

Without waiting for an answer, she handed the drainage tube to Estonia.

Once her hands were free, she pulled out one last towel from her supply bag, as well as a pocket knife.

"I already sterilized it before I came over, so this won't infect her."

Despite the nausea pooling in his stomach, Estonia watched closely as Hungary sank the knife deep into his protégé's skin, slightly to the right of her right breast. Elts did not stir, much to Estonia's relief.

As she wiped up the now-pooling blood, Hungary spread the wound open further. "Hand me the tube, quickly!" she barked, sticking out her free hand.

Estonia gave the tube back, closing his eyes at the sound of it entering the incision.

"Now put the end of the hose into the bottle."

Estonia nodded and did what he was told. He wrinkled his nose as some pink fluid dripped into the bottle.

Finally, Hungary took out a needle and thread and sewed the tube to Elts' skin, keeping it in place.

After a few moments of silence, minus the sound of Hungary washing her hands in the bathroom sink, she spoke. "I cannot believe I had to do this. Thank God the concussion was keeping her unconscious, otherwise this would have been torture for her."

Estonia glanced over at Elts, who looked a little more peaceful than before. "I think it's helping, though."

"I'm going to give that Ivan brat a piece of my mind once this is all over; I can remove the tube in an hour or so. Because this isn't some schoolyard bullying shit; this is full-on abuse. And from what you told me about the situation before, this isn't the first time he has treated her this way. We have to help her somehow, so that this doesn't happen again." She gently brushed some of Elts' sweaty hair away from her forehead. "These were severe breaks, Eduard. He was crushing her. He could have killed her if he didn't stop when he did."

"So why did he?"

"Maybe he realized that he went too far? What I want to know is where Russia was during all of this. He's supposed to be this bastard's mentor!"

"I don't know," Estonia said. "But once Elts is patched up, I think it's time to find out."

* * *

 **Okay, this was actually a difficult chapter to write, since it covers this makeshift medical procedure. (Realistically, Elts would have needed an X-ray, and I'm not sure if Hungary's makeshift drainage tube would even work, but for the sake of this story, it does.)**

 **One of my headcanons is that Hungary has enough medical experience to be a doctor. Another headcanon I have for her is that she's good friends with Estonia (and Finland; Uralic Trio ftw!), which is why she refers to him by not only his human name, but also a nickname.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Welcome to the next installment of this strange little fic. Thank you to anyone who stuck with this.**

 **Elts is very disoriented at the beginning of this because she is extremely triggered by the fact that there is—what she sees as—medical equipment in her body, and that she's in a lot of pain. She automatically thinks that she is back at the lab due to this.**

 **Hopefully my characters work well with the Hetalia ones.**

 **Also, Ivan. You and APH Russia basically pulled a hit-and-run by leaving Elts to fend for herself with broken ribs and a punctured lung. Not cool, dudes.**

 ***I do not own Hetalia. I do, however, own Elts, and the other OCs mentioned in this.***

* * *

 **Installment Twelve**

When she woke, the first thing Elts noticed was that she could swallow without tasting any new blood. (Though the unpleasant taste of old blood still lingered.) The second thing she comprehended was pain. The right side of her chest throbbed even more than before, and while breathing was a little easier, it still hurt.

When she looked down at the spot causing her the most pain, her breathing sped up. A tube stuck out of the right side of her chest, with some sort of hose connected to it. She felt sick as a thick dark-pinkish liquid she knew was a mixture of blood and sputum traveled down the hose.

Medical equipment was inside her, and her lung was being drained. It suddenly dawned on Elts that she didn't even know where she was.

"'Twas a test?" she cried in English, her breathing speeding up, though each gasp pained her. "A realistic simulation? I…I'm still here? Not free?"

Elts saw shadows on the wall, and realized that there were people with her in the room, though it was warmer than most of the labs she was in. A fearful whine escaped from her throat, just as tears escaped from her eyes. "No. Nononono NO!"

As the two scientists got closer, she threw her arms out as a last-ditch effort to protect herself, though she knew from experience that it would be futile.

She closed her eyes, tensing up for the worst, but froze when she heard a familiar language being spoken.

"Oh, Elts…" a gentle male voice whispered in Estonian. Suddenly, her head was being held, her hair being smoothed. "You are free. You're okay. Do you remember who I am?"

Elts allowed herself to relax as she heard the young man speak. "None o'the scientists're Estonian," she rasped. When her eyes were clear of most of the tears, she squinted, and saw a worried-looking blond with glasses staring down at her.

"Eduard…" she sighed, relieved. "So this _is_ all real…"

"I should have known the tube could be a potential trigger for you, but your lung is punctured, and it needs to be drained."

The woman who spoke was a pretty brunette with caring eyes.

"You're Hungary, yes?" Elts asked, switching back to English.

The woman merely nodded.

"Sorry 'bout that," she muttered, exhausted from her outburst. "So sorry…" She wanted to say more, but her head hurt too much. Though it wasn't as much as before, blood still dripped from her lips. "I'm gonna sleep now…" She closed her aching eyes and let the soothing darkness of unconsciousness overtake her.

/

Estonia didn't remove his hands from Elts' head until he was sure that she was unconscious.

"This is worse than I thought." He grabbed his protégé's hand, still trying to comfort her, though she wouldn't even comprehend the gesture in her current state.

"I know." Hungary gently pushed the towel, which had fallen off in the struggle, back onto the copper-haired girl's chest. "She doesn't deserve this; this meeting was supposed to be a wonderful opportunity for them to interact with more Nations, and with their fellow classmates." She sighed, shaking her head. "You're a good guy, Ed. She's lucky to have you as a mentor."

"Sometimes I don't think I'm doing enough for her, though." He reached for the clean towel on the nightstand to wipe the blood from Elts' mouth and neck, but Hungary stopped him.

"We can clean her in a second, but I just remembered that I should probably take some photos of her, just in case." She grabbed her phone from her bag and presumably turned on the camera function.

Estonia nodded, though he made sure the towel covered everything it needed to.

After Hungary took several photos from different angles, Estonia quickly soaked a washcloth in warm water.

"She's coated in blood," he murmured. He felt better looking at her once the blood was cleaned off, but it just made the bruises and swollen skin stand out more.

After about an hour of silence, he turned to Hungary and finally asked the question that had been on his mind ever since he had brought Elts back to the room. "What should I tell her friends? They're bound to notice when Elts and I don't appear at dinner. What am I supposed to say? 'Sorry, Elts was brutally attacked by the guy who tormented you back at school. I was supposed to be keeping an eye on her, but I didn't find her until after it was too late. Now she's stuck in bed with eight broken ribs and a punctured lung'?"

"They won't blame you, Eduard." Hungary gently squeezed the bespectacled boy's hand.

"I know. But that doesn't stop me from feeling like shit. I was supposed to protect her, Erzsébet."

Suddenly, Estonia was overcome by the sickening feeling of déjà vu.

 _"I was supposed to protect him, but I couldn't even do that right."_ _Estonia curled his arms around Latvia, who was limp in his grasp. Lithuania looked down at them, his eyes misty._

"I couldn't protect Raivis back then, and now I can't protect Elts. Some mentor I am…"

"Seriously Ed, you need to pull yourself together." Hungary narrowed her eyes. "Stop acting like you're a failure, because you're not. You couldn't have known Elts would have gotten hurt, and you acted quickly once you realized she was."

Estonia was about to say something in return, but Hungary had already turned away, checking the bottle connected to the drainage tube for any new blood.

"It looks to have stopped," she noted. "I think it's time to remove the tube. Then, we can pay Ivan and Ivan a little visit."

Estonia nodded, though he was apprehensive to initiate a conflict with Russia and his protégé. But one look at Elts strengthened his resolve; her swollen torso and countless bruises left him feeling sick and angry. Though Elts had only said that Ivan attacked her, he was still under Russia's care.

"All done." Hungary's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "I made sure to sew the incision, too; I don't want that getting infected." She turned her gaze on the bottle in her hands, the blood and excess fluids sloshing against the sides as she moved.

"What are you going to do with that?" Estonia inquired, unable to look away.

"First, I'll take some photos of it, just to show that Elts did indeed have her lung drained. I was thinking I might flush everything down the toilet after, since I honestly don't know where else to dispose of it."

"Good idea." Estonia turned to look at Elts, who was still sleeping. "Think she'll be okay when we leave?"

"I doubt she'll wake up for awhile; after everything she's gone through, she's obviously exhausted." Hungary's green eyes met Estonia's. "We should get going soon; I want this to be handled as soon as possible."

"Hold on; I'm just writing a note to her to explain where we are if she wakes up before we get back; I don't want her to worry."

After scrawling a quick _'Elts, if we aren't here right now, it's because we're making sure Ivan won't bother you again. Don't try to find us, just stay in bed. We'll bring you dinner afterward. –Eduard'_ in Estonian, he slid the note under her hand and turned to Hungary.

"Now I'm ready."

"Okay. Let's go." Hungary still held the bottle of Elts' blood, which confused the taller Nation.

"Aren't you going to flush that?"

"I was, but then I figured it would add emphasis to our lecture." Hungary narrowed her eyes. "I will try to keep things civil, but I will not hesitate to throw punches if this creep tests my patience."

Estonia gulped. He did not want to get into any sort of violent confrontation with either Russia or his protégé, but deep down, he agreed with Hungary. "All right."

Once he made sure the door indeed locked behind him, Estonia followed Hungary down the hallway. The walk was silent, until the brunette Nation broke it.

"I looked up Russia's room in the directory beforehand. It should be two floors above this one, to the right of the elevators."

Estonia nodded and continued to walk behind Hungary. When they arrived at their destination, Hungary knocked sharply on the door.

After a few seconds, it opened to reveal Russia.

"Ah, Hungary," he said serenely, an unnerving smile on his face. "What brings you here?"

"Your protégé," she snapped. "I want a word with him."

"I see. So this is about Vanya's argument with the Estonian girl."

" _Argument_?" Estonia finally made himself known. "Do you know what he did to her?"

"So Estonia is here, too." Russia's eyes narrowed slightly, his smile briefly dropping. "The situation is under control."

"I don't care. He needs to see what he did. What he caused." With a slam, Hungary pushed the door fully open, and strode into the room before Russia could say anything more.

Estonia walked in after her, though his shoulders immediately tensed at Russia's discreet glare.

"All right, _fiú_ ," she began, walking towards the tall young man who sat on the couch, his face impassive, though a bruise marred his jaw. "You and I need to have a little chat."

"If this is about Elts, save your breath. Russia already discussed the incident with me." He rubbed his jaw before grumbling, "But that bitch deserved it. Stupid women and their unnecessary emotional reactions."

"Excuse me?" Estonia had just met Ivan, but he already disliked him. "In this room with you is a woman who commanded armies. I would watch what you say."

Before he could say anything else, Hungary slammed the bottle she held onto the table next to the couch, seething. "Do you know what this is?" she hissed.

Ivan stared at her, narrowing his eyes, though he said nothing.

"This is her blood. The blood from the lung you _punctured_ by stepping on her. You crushed her ribs, and broke eight of them. The jagged end of one of them tore into her right lung. I don't know what you were playing at, but if you didn't stop when you did, you would have killed her."

"I did not realize the injuries were that serious." Russia joined the conversation, his murky eyes showing no emotion. "I would not have left if I had known."

 _Bullshit. I know that tone; you're lying. Was leaving Elts some sort of twisted punishment directed at her? Does he want to relive how he treated us, but with different targets this time?_ Estonia bit his tongue to keep him from getting too wrapped up in thought. He would discuss it with Hungary later. Instead, he snapped, "You _left_ her? What would have happened if she wasn't able to move on her own, wasn't able to find me? You left her to die."

"From what I saw, it looked like she passed out from being thrown against the wall. And in terms of her ribs, she is immortal. I assumed she would have healed at least a little bit."

"She's not like us, Russia." Estonia clenched his fists, though he had no intention of fighting physically. "Many of her classmates have rapid healing, but that alteration did not work on her. She only heals a little faster than a human."

"So she is still very injured?" For once, Russia looked surprised, a twinge of a rare emotion—shame—flashing across his face, though it was gone as soon as it appeared.

"See for yourself." Hungary's voice was cold as she pulled up the picture of Elts and her wounds.

" _Bozhe Moy_ ," Russia murmured.

"Ah, I forgot what a great rack she had; too bad her personality is such a turn off…"

Before Ivan could say anything else, Estonia lunged forward, grabbing the front of his shirt.

"You objectify her again, and I will give you a black eye to match your jaw. Are we clear?" he spat, pushing Ivan as he let go.

"I was trying to lighten the mood, but I guess jokes aren't to your liking." Ivan shrugged.

"Not when they're about a girl you nearly crushed to death." Estonia sat down on the other end of the couch, anger making his legs shake. He didn't think it was possible, but he was in the presence of someone more infuriating, and more frightening, than Russia.

"I know it doesn't seem like it," Ivan finally said, relaxing his shoulders, "but I didn't mean for it to get so out of hand."

Estonia released the breath he didn't know he was holding. "She is very hurt, both physically and emotionally."

"I know. I guess…" Ivan paused for a moment before continuing. "I guess that I took it too far. I was just trying to show Elts her place, since she stepped out of line."

Before Estonia could even blink, Hungary's fist flew forward, connecting with Ivan's eye.

"We're done, here," she stated, her voice ragged. "This is far from over, but there is nothing more neither Eduard nor I can say at the moment." Shaking her head, she made her way to the door. "We will continue to discuss this later, when Ivan is capable of making competent thoughts, and gets off his high horse."

As she exited, Estonia followed. But before he left, he turned back to the Russians. "When you realize how severe this is, Ivan, come and find us. This conference lasts a week, after all. And Russia?" he turned to the purple-eyed man, his lip slightly curling. "Try not to brainwash him, okay? He's starting to sound like you during your ' _glorious_ Union', and the world doesn't need another version of _that_ running around. _Head aega._ " With that, Estonia left the room, letting the door slam behind him.

* * *

 **Oh, man. This one was a long one. (At least, a long chapter for this story.)**

 **I know Ivan seems like a complete villain, but he is a very complex character. He's a douche, of course, but also very complicated. As the story goes on, more sides of him will be expressed. I will say that he's easy to manipulate, so if Russia told him that he went too far with attacking Elts, but was in the right in terms of putting her in her place (though he should have done so in a less destructive manner), he'd believe him. Hence the attitude in this chapter.**

 **And speaking of Russia himself, despite his flawed way of thinking, he's not the villain here. (Though he didn't help matters.) Estonia is still very bitter towards him (and for good reason), so of course he is harsher towards him, even though Russia is saddened by the severity of Elts' injuries, as well. Even though he really didn't know what they were, minus two breaks, since he heard the sound of them, Estonia automatically thinks the worst, because the injuries remind him too much of what he, Latvia, and Lithuania went through during the USSR.**

 **Translations:  
Fiú: Boy (Hungarian)  
Bozhe Moy: Oh my God (Russian)  
Head aega: Goodbye (Estonian)**


End file.
